As usual there has been a hubbub of activity on CC over the past few weeks. The controversy in cheating and abuse over blitzaholic came to a final close and a decision was reached by the admin staff as found here. With this decision it meant that ljex was likely to be the new conqueror for at least a month. However, he could only hold the position for an hour when rabbiton emerged from inactivity to steal his crown so congrats to the new conqueror rabbiton!

The newsletter is also jam packed full of articles, including an interrogation of jpcloet, an update on the TPA from angola and a review of the arms race map from OliverFA. We hope you enjoy reading it.

The executives and staff would also like to wish you a happy easter and hope you all have a great relaxing weekend. To celebrate this festive season there are limited edition dice and a free speed game holiday on the limited edition easter egg hunt map. There are also prizes to be won in the easter egg design contest and live chat easter egg hunt, which further details can be found in this announcement.

In this edition of freestyle news we travel to Iraq for DoomYoshi's random game analysis, safariguy discusses the specifics of the bodyguard role in our Scum Insider and I have a sit down with jpcloet to discuss his hard job of running the ever growing clan forums!

This fun 3-player is played out on one of the most controversial maps on CC. Before you ask: I don't know why this map features the US Army as opposed to a UN coalition. I also don't know why the American loyalties are ridiculously overpowered. Since I can't answer, let's move on. Early on in the game, it was apparent that 3 different strategies were being taken. Geert Romain, as Red, decided to focus his attention on securing Baghdad. Colemanus, as Green immediately went for a quick American bonus. lorenzol the blue player decided the tactical advantage of al-Qaeda was the route to take. (For those who aren't very familiar with the map, the al-Qaeda can attack many cities on the map).

The early portion of the game was dominated by building. Red in Baghdad, Green and Blue working on developing loyal cities. Blue was the first to have a set. He went for some good old-fashioned province cleaning with his mixed set. Red also stuck to his strategy and used his mixed set to secure Baghdad. Either this decision or the next one determined the game. It could be argued that by Red going for an obvious bonus and 'forcing' Green to react he caused the finale to work out like it did. True, at this point in the game Red was on top. The next decision I am referring to is Green's decision to storm Baghdad rather than work on his own bonus. In retrospect, if he would've focused on building his own provincial and city loyalties, Blue would've been forced to deal with Baghdad.

In any case, Baghdad was secured. Blue was free to spend another turn building his loyalties. The bonuses were now 5, 7 and 15. I will let you guess who won. When such a devastating war is fought so early - by the two weaker powers no less - there can only be one result. This is one of the fallacies I see often. Players begin to rely on BOBs by the numbers approach that they get stuck in a 'last turn' mindset. The 'next turn' mindset is what wins games though. Strategic elements do actually play a part in this game. Especially on a map like Battle for Iraq where the usual ideology is displaced. The usual ideology being that neutrals should not be attacked. On this map, you can, and usually will, win by attacking neutrals. Obviously Escalating changes this somewhat but if you haven't experienced Battle for Iraq yet, I suggest you play it now.

NEXT TIME: A Special Battle Royale Issue. Feel free to PM if you have any questions/comments.

Newbie HelpWant to get into the Mafia scene, but don't know how to play or even what it is? Consult these threads: Mafia Information, Mafia and You, and Rules and Terms of Mafia.Too much work? Too lazy to read through everything? No worries, you can always jump right into a game and ask for other players or the game runner to help guide you.

What is "Mafia"?Mafia, for those of you that don't know, is a game that generally takes place in a town, where the townspeople have to determine who the mafia (or "scum") is and lynch them via a majority vote during the day and the mafia try to kill everyone at night and bluff their way out of getting killed by the town.

Mafia NewsHey, folks! As I hope you all have noticed, the Mafia Forum is now its own entity outside of the off-topics forum! The Mafia Forum has the main forum as per usual, but now also has Mafia Discussions, Mafia Archives, and the Mafia Games Handbook. There will now also be 6 premium prize mafia games a year, too! So now is as good a time as any to get started in the mafia world! And with the forum upgrade comes a Scum Insider upgrade: nagerous will be taking over for me and expanding and improving the Insider. I may write a blurb here and there, but for all intensive purposes, I'm done with the Insider. You can still expect to see safariguy5's regular segments, so no need to fear there. I'm sure nagerous has great things in store for us all and I know I'm excited to see how the Insider (as well as the new forum) branches out. Cheers, and thanks for reading the Scum Insider thus far.

Mafia CalloutsCalling all players interested! Some mafia games need some filling:

The Bodyguard is a protective role much like the doctor. However, instead of simply saving the person, the Bodyguard generally dies instead of the intended target. Sometimes, the Bodyguard kills the attacker instead of dying, and variations with various % can determine the different outcomes. Depending on the mod, the Bodyguard may know what type of bodyguard he is or can simply be told that he is a Bodyguard.

Example

Jack is a Bodyguard who dies instead of the intended target. He protects Mary in the night. John, a mafia member, targets Mary for the kill. Jack is killed and Mary is saved.

Jack is a Bodyguard who kills the attacker. He protects Mary in the night. John, a mafia member, targets Mary for the kill. John is killed and Mary is saved.

How to Play this Role

Bodyguards are always Town. They function almost identically as doctors, and should be played as such. Since it is a very useful town role, bodyguards should try to not be forced to reveal themselves as it makes them targets for the mafia. If the cop has claimed, protecting him is usually a high priority, especially if the Bodyguard is the type that kills the attacker. If a doctor has been forced to claim, protecting the doctor is also high priority as the doctor is more likely to be targeted by mafia than the cop is (due to the fact that doctors cannot protect themselves).

After trying to rescue the first clan league tournament, I saw there were big possibilities for clans on the site. I sent a pm to lackattack asking if I could help out (Marval was the only CD at the time) and I remember getting a pm back that was pretty insulting and nasty. I did not know that lack dislikes pms that much, I kind of wish I kept that response. From there, almost everything I got involved with was unofficial, and is generally how most things happen in the community. A group of 7 clans helped to co-found the Clan Leaders Association (CLA) and the first thing we did was informally introduce the 1 Clan rule. From there I organized the first true Clan League, which involved 15 clans over 1350 private games. As the leader of the CLA and League organizer, I had the support of most clans, and was later recommended to the site by Marval to be a CD.

Q. What is the hardest challenge of being the head clan director?

From the beginning there have always been 2 key challenges. The first is whenever you make a decision or implement a new system/methodology/policy, someone will not be happy and will tell you a better way of doing it or how it should have been done, often without knowing/seeing the bigger picture or future possibilities. Trying to balance the needs and wants of all clans/individuals is very tough. The second is trying to convince admin to implement site changes related to clans.

Q. How involved are you in the running of AoD? I would assume it would be difficult with your mod position to find the time.

I started as the War Minister after being recruited by Reptile (who now resides with Legends of War). LOD (now AOD) had a couple of sig makers who took forever to make one for me so I tried to make my own and found it was not that hard, so I started making sigs for the new clan members as well. Over time we went through several leaders and I later reluctantly took the offer to lead the CC division of LOD. Recently I stepped down as leader of the CLA (due to conflict with being a CD) and also stepped down as final say in AOD. I currently maintain the war minister position and also occasionally make signatures.

As for my moderator role, it is one of the better ones to have. There is a high level of self-regulation and coaching amongst the clans, and the bigger challenge is informing and getting new clans aware of the clan environment. We can easily go a month or two without a reported post. When I added shaneback and chemefreakto the team, the first thing I did was create Excel templates for clan results and medal issuing. Once those were in place, those 2 CD's along with Masli have basically done all of the medal and privilege issuing since. Even with all of the CD's being heavily involved in their own clans, these tools have been key. I personally can do the full analysis and issue medals in less than 5 minutes for any size war. These tools and with the new CD's has allowed me to focus more on technical upgrades/solutions and other key projects. Having this all in place also means that players like Masli can also help out in other areas to their liking as well.

Q. Which one clan leader would you most like to... have a drink with? Play on a team with? Remove from leadership?

I'd probably have to drink with Chemefreak, simple because we probably have most in common. I probably owe Gold Knighta few drinks. I don't drink much so I would have to avoid the FOED leaders, although I bet they have some great stories to tell. I'd like to play on a team with Danryan. I hate playing against that guy and we've never been on the same team. There is no one who'd I'd like to remove from leader, I'd like to think that their own clan would walk if they were not being a good leader, or would make the change. There are a few that could use a little more patience.

Q. What are some of the characteristics of your ideal of clan leadership?

AOD has gone through several cycles and player activity is a current one. As a CD getting a leap ladder in place, updating an overdue handbook, and deciding whether a Season 4 will happen if clan wars is really the core of our area.

Q. Any advice for current and future clan leadership?

Have a long range plan which allows for innovation and some flexibility.

Q. How hard did you have to train to be able to carry Gold Knight?

GK joined LOD 1 day after I did so we are like brothers, and I'm the older nerdier one. The key is to start early like http://www.conquerclub.com/game.php?game=1315082 and be able to find a good quote like:2007-12-14 22:48:23 - Gold Knight [team]: nice jp, way to carry us.

Q. What's your opinion on the fog "rule"?

I personally have said from the beginning that the home team takes the risk by choosing it. If you really want a fair shake, make it sunny. I get the fair play sportsmanship aspect, however, a site solution would be better for that as it could put an undue pressure on a team to check games.

Q. Are you the type of person that would swallow your blood before you swallow your pride?

I don't understand this question. Of the deadly sins, pride is the one that people probably peg me with. I have a hard time with word choice and I often come off as elitist.

Q. Who would you like to have in your clan but isn't and why ?

While I could try and pick an all-star roster here, there are a few players that have left or that I attempted to recruit before they were in clans. I would like my big 3 back, along with Dako and Danryan who I tried to recruit. As for past/current partners, I have a huge respect for the game play of Rodion.

Q. What are your hopes concerning this suggestion: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=132777 (Usergroup Leader Powers) and their effects on Clans and their organizations?

My hope is that some group will be able to use it to some significant benefit. My concern is that clans will simply use it to delete old threads, and that some will fall into the trap of making too many subforums that an extra click or 2 means that sub-forum is not visited or read at all.

Q. Do you forsee any potential problems concerning the possibility of giving a good amount of power to Clan Leaders?

The only real issue we've had in the past is people adding players to groups without their permission. I would like to see a function added where that player has to confirm. I don't see any major risks.

Q. Would these outweigh the obvious advantages?

While I like the idea, I don't see any major upside or downside. More of a nice to have. The best moderators can do their work without moderation tools.

Q. How many ofMaster Fenrir's Commandments have you broken since you've been on Conquer Club? Have you repented to the black jesus for your transgressions?

I thought that was a great article, and I even submitted one of my own to him later being Rule 11, Though shall claim a lead in a game with as little as 1 extra territory or 1 extra army. I'm sure some do that regardless of the situation.

8. Thou shalt look for forfeits. (we have taken forfeits in the past, usually when a clan folds as a last resort, but we don't look for them)9. Thou shalt maintain appropriate levels of drama. (our war threads are pretty quiet for the most part)10. Thou shalt have at least one female clanmate. (at one point AOD had 4 females and now we have none, most went inactive at the site overall)

Q. Name three things you love about Conquer Club.

Clan activity, variety of maps, a well run tournament.

Q. If you were to be any other kind of mod, which would you be?

I've helped out Tournament Organizers, offered to volunteer a while back to help in Multihunting, but if I chose an area simply for current interest it would probably be the Tech dept. I'm very technical in nature from programs like Excel, GIMP, various programming languages etc. I bet I could learn to make some interesting scripts/programs.

Q. Which XML/game play feature of CC maps do you like the most?

I'd probably go with bombardments, it is simple and effective. Long been waiting on dynamic borders.

Q. How many times have you been tempted to put a hole the size of your keyboard in your closet door and or wall due to something so aggravating on this site?

Less than 10, most of them would be dice related. My home computer is the least likely to be damaged. I have a really slow work one and that laptop may one day act as a discus or a door rest if I ever end up with an office.

Q. What's the bomb-diggity-est usergroup out there?

There are a lot of usergroups out there that really don't do much. The bomb-diggity-est one would have to be the TO group based on their overall site contribution. For some reason I'd be willing to risk being in a room with the BB's.

Q. Do you believe that Canada will soon be annexed as the 51st United State?

Based on the economy, won't the US need to sell some off first to be able to afford the purchase?

Q. If you could have the picture of one CC player by your bedside and gaze at them as you fell asleep, who would it be?

I'm drawing a blank on this one. I would pick something based on avatars, but I think 99.9% of them are misleading.

Q. Do churches float?

I've never been to one that floats, but I would guess yes. Odd question and forum search is not giving me anything. This one's over my head.

Q. How are the wife and kids?

Right now she's watching America's Next Top Model, and the kids are sleeping.

Q. Dear JP will there ever be a clear, simple and fair rankings system for clans? If so when, and how?

Clear (yes), simple (yes), fair (debatable). My goal was April with the leap ladder, but this month is almost over. I should have gotten more done this month considering the weather was terrible and I was inside most of the time.

I drink a lot of water, sometimes with Crystal Light. Oddly it is Tangerine-Grapefruit flavoured, but I don't eat either. I don't drink any hot drinks. I'm weird on 2 levels with this question.

Q. You want to be in a CLAN. One night, the Devil makes you a deal that will instantly rocket you to super-stardom, multi GOLD medal success, adoring fans and critical acclaim for the duration of your CLAN career. The downside is that in exchange for this fame, your all-time favorite CLAN will cease to exist. Any memory of their legacy will disappear forever, and you will never be able to play in any of their games ever again. Do you take the deal?

Hi again amigos and welcome to your favorite part of the Newsletter, "War Games", where you can find information about CC Tournaments. As always, Dukasaur has put together a new Interview for the Meet the Tournament Winners!: DJ Teflon. We also have a TPA Update and a Feature Article by Angola.

Thanks for taking the time to read our section, and we hope you find this information interesting.

DJ Teflon is no stranger to the world of CC tournaments. He is seventh in the Tournament Organizer Hall of Fame, with 78 tourneys to his credit. He has recently become known as pretty much THE leading pioneer in the field of Speed tournaments. His wall is also decorated with 12 tournament cups, as well as a full set of gold medals and an impressive group of General Achievement and Clan awards. He is himself an official Tournament Director. And, for those of us who are accustomed to seeing him with a diamond or a sabre beside his name, he has recently shot up in points and boasts a Colonel’s crown.

DJ Teflon's most recent victory was in the Quick and Easy Tournament hosted by qwert. True to its name, the Q&E Tournament went only twelve days from original posting to final win -- from February 21st 2011 to March 5th 2011. For those of you who have not been following the backstory, this tournament was actually a protest by qwert against quick and easy tournaments in general. I followed the controversy (in fact, I put in my own two cents) so of course I absolutely HAD to interview the winner of this tournament and get his thoughts!

I know you're going to enjoy talking about it, and I am very much looking forward to your comments.. What attracted you to this particular tournament?

I quite enjoy quick tournaments as you may know from my interest in speed tournaments - possibly impatience on my part - so I thought I'd take part in the fun, especially as I enjoy playing on many of qwert's maps.

I'm pretty sure qwert was trying to make a point about some tournaments being frivolous with only a few games. Of course, it isn't as rewarding as winning a more in-depth tournament but its still great fun. qwert was aiming to run it as fast as possible, and, even with 8-player games, it was quick enough to prevent me getting frustrated.

There was quite a debate in the Tournament Discussions forum about precisely this issue. Did that influence you? Did you join (in part, anyway) as a public statement that quick and easy tournaments are a good thing?

Very interesting question. I'm all for quick tournaments, as you may know from my interest in speed tournaments and the fast-turn ('relentless') rule I have in some other tournaments. I'm not so much in favour of the easy part, although that's just my personal preference. The ideal for me is quick and intensive - high adrenaline.

So, my motivation wasn't any kind of statement or contribution to the debate, just a personal preference for quick tournaments and for the maps used in this tournament. I wouldn't normally go for a multi-player escalating game but WWII Europe enticed me in.

You've won 20 of 31 games on that map, including 17 of your last 20. What's the secret?

I didn't realise the ratio was that good - I guess it's about knowing the map well, and making use of the UK bombardments and focusing strategy around the narrow routes in the centre that link east and west as much as possible. Other than that, no great secrets to divulge I'm afraid.

I just noticed you spell "centre" and "flavour" properly! It's so refreshing!

You've got a dozen tournament victory cups, you're seventh in the Tournament Organizer Hall of Fame with 77 completed tournaments, and you're a Tournament Director. Pretty impressive credentials. Which part of it are you most proud of?

Wow thanks - although some of the tournament wins have been a bit of an adrenaline rush I'd say I'm most pleased with having found some successful formulae for running speed tournaments. They have been hard work but its been rewarding to get them up-and-running.Is there increasing demand for those? Are "speeders" becoming more popular?

They are, slowly but surely. I think we are building a base of speed tournament players that are familiar with the set-up. Hopefully more will come along soon. HA found a good tournament structure which brought lots of players in - hopefully, other TOs and I can do the same so we can have bigger, better and more regular speed tournaments.

I have seen your speed tournaments. (I haven't built up the courage for it. I'm one of those stodgy old men who wants time to think, lol.)

Well, you've been a great interview subject. (With some people, trying to get their opinion is like pulling teeth, one word at a time, lol) With you, there's no doubt what you like and what you want to see more of on CC. You like fast, challenging scenarios, games with adrenaline highs, and no pussy-footing around.

So let me turn this around: tell me what you don't like, and what you want to see less of on CC.

Good question. Until I got involved helping out in the Foundry, and now as TD, I did think there was too much pussy-footing going on and the pace of change wasn't fast enough for me. However, having got involved, I now understand why change isn't always easy or as fast as we would like. I have also noticed that with the expansion of team CC, change is now happening quicker. So, I don't have much to bitch about, which leaves me with only a couple of gripes ... the freestyle missed-turn loophole (miss a turn, get to go next (first), drop deferred troops. and annoying personal arguments in game chat, or messing-up discussion threads.

I should have mentioned previously that a couple of TOs are recruiting for speed tournaments at the moment so look for for them on the tournament tab.I will be sure to mention that... What are your other priorities? Do you have any new projects up your sleeve?

Once speed tournaments are regular I hope to work on getting die-hard football fans together (Futbol that is) so we can play team games against one another. Many of us get passionate about our teams, so there would be some great rivalries there.

Of course, I'll still be creating casual tournaments and maybe I might even get further with map-making. I have a really big project idea that involves map-making and tournaments, very sci-fi / fantasy. However, it would be so much work that its may stay at the dream stage for quite a while ....

There are a couple of other projects I hope to start work on soon, but if I told you about them I would have to shoot you!

If you would shoot me, you'd have to rescue my tournaments... Well, thank you very much for your time, and good luck in your future endeavours!

Mr. Steve is still atop the Scoreboard and even increased his lead slightly in the past two weeks. He now has 39.12 points, while HighlanderAttack is still in second with 34.33 and Timminz has overtaken MudPuppy for third place with 32.82.

Be sure to visit the Create/Join a Tournament area to sign up for future TPA events, which will be ending in the next month or so.

Anyway, it seems like a lot of tournaments are filled with the same names a lot of the time.

"I would say 95 percent of my games are tourney games," HighlanderAttack said. "I do get invites and requests to play a lot of pickup games, but I'm very selective when deciding to join them. My fun comes from the competition of tourneys."

Highlander is not alone in that regard, both benga and danryan said that they play very few non-tournament games and most of those are clan games.

Playing so many tournament games is not easy, though, as not all tournaments are suited to each individual.

"I stay away from flat rate completely," danryan said. "I try not to enter freestyle, and I don't play no spoils except for team games. I also generally don't enter 1v1 events."

Playing a lot of tournament games can also lead to a lot of losses, which no one enjoys, yet these folks seem to keep coming back for more.

"I understand that losing is part of the situation," rmjw10 said, "and even though I want to win, I don't quit playing because I lose."

While the losing gets old, tournaments also tend to help players get better.

"My improvement in team games was probably most pronounced in Blitz's battle of annihilation a couple of years ago," danryan said. "Also, playing Map Blaster will improve almost anyone's escalating play!"

ConquerClub as a business also improves from tournaments, as players may upgrade to premium to play in tournaments or get rewarded with premium memberships for winning tournaments.

"Tournaments were the reason I bought premium," benga said. "To be exact, amazzoni's Diablo (was the reason I bought premium), but the stupid bank was too slow, so I did not enter."

No matter why they play, though, most tournament aficionado's all agree that tournaments add a different element of fun to the CC experience.

"Winning or losing does not matter," HighlanderAttack said. "I am in for the competition ..."

Hey, folks! I'm excited as always to bring you the Foundry section! OliverFA continues his map Classics with Arms Race! and Lorn Empire gets 15 minutes of fame in the Spotlight. Unfortunately, the Foundry Team is again down in numbers, so if anyone's interested in writing at all for this section, please PM me! And speaking of Foundry Team members, if you take a look down at the bottom of this issue with the Dispatch team members, you might just get a sneak peek as to what to expect next issue.

Nowadays, the Foundry is plenty of life. We enjoy a continuous stream of creativity and talent. Thanks to the effort of dedicated mapmakers, new additions are quenched regularly. And many more maps are in the works.

But there are also maps that were created long ago. Maps that despite having been with us for long time still feel fresh like the first day. Every day, many games are played on those maps. Those maps are true jewels that have stood the test of time. They are real Classics. They deserve our attention despite the time that has passed since they were created. Or maybe because of that.

Arms Race! a map by WidowMakers and mibi

Arms Race! is a map that dates from 2008, but is features an original gameplay that has no match among all the other maps that have appeared since then. It's Cold War time, and the US and the USSR are targeting each other. In this version of History, the nuclear conflict can't be avoided, and the only questions are who will strike first and when that will be. To obliterate the enemy country, players will first have to eliminate all opposition in their own country. Once a player has full control of his country, he just has to arm the nuclear missile and strike! That is, if spies allow him to do it.

As I said, the gameplay is very original. The map is divided in two areas. The "geographic" area and the "missile" area. And each area is subdivided between US and USSR parts. When the game starts, players can get armies in both US and USSR, but once they are out of one of them, there is no way they can come back. Each country can only bombard the other country via the nuclear missile or the spies. This makes for a very interesting game in two layers: Opposition in your own country, and opposition in the other country.

First step should be to eliminate your fellow "colleagues" at your country. There is a little chance that they will allow you to operate the missile while they are still alive. But who knows? Maybe you could reach an agreement to unite against the other country and work out your differences later. Or, if you feel strong enough, you can try to succeed at both countries at the same time. This broadens your chances, but also weakens your position at both sides.

Once you manage to secure all the country for yourself, just need to arm the missile, get the launch codes, convince the president (all by conquering the regions representing them) and then you will get a huge bonus to bombard the other country and claim victory. But be careful! The other country is not defenseless at all! Even if they can't arm their own missile yet, they can use their spies to deactivate your launch codes or your president (by bombarding them) and delay your missile launch. Maybe that delay will be long enough for them to arm their own missile and eliminate you!

I think this map deserves to be called a Classic because the mapmakers make a very smart use of the elements they have to create a map that is "not yet another Classic variation" and at the same time it's very interesting to play and understand, but difficult to master. Forget about "continents" and "countries". Here concepts are completely different, yet they make a lot of sense. The use of the killer neutrals feature is also a very intelligent one and fits perfectly with the rest of the map. Arms Race! is best played with no spoils or flat rate spoils, but it fits well for any number of players. The fact it has two definite sides doesn't mean you won't have fun in an 8-player game.

If you have been away from this map because you thought it was too complicated, give it a try, you will understand its concepts before the first game has finished, and will enjoy a refreshing game.

Welcome to another edition of the Map Spotlight! I've interviewed the fine young mapmaker, ISN2, about his Foundry creation, the Lorn Empire. You can find the map thread in the Gameplay Workshop, or just click here. Enjoy the interview, folks!

Sully: How did you come up with the idea of "Lorn Empire"? What was your inspiration?ISN2: Well, I'm going to answer your first question with a quote from the first post of my map topic: "This is the idea that came to my mind today, a land with mountains and snow in north, green lands in middle and a plain land with a sea in south ...

First of all, I wanted to make 4 empires in corners of this map, each empire would have a border and then a big free land in middle that those 4 empires could fight for it ...

But after I looked at game settings and thought about them, I decided to make it 8 empires so it could be balanced on a 8 players game and so the name of my idea comes from it, Eight Empires ...

Then I worked on a very simple graphical plan to just show what is my idea ..."And for the info, the name of the map was first "Eight Empires" and later I changed it to "Lorn Empire" ...

Sully: What feature(s) of "Lorn Empire" are you most excited about to present to the CC Community?ISN2: Well, the main feature of this map is the "Requirements / Losing Conditions". Each player has to hold at least 1 castle or he/she loses. Another feature is the balanced start for every player. Also with the gameplay that is in progress, I'm going to make the map a real strategy-based map.

Sully: Why mapmaking? What caused you to come to the Foundry?ISN2: It's a hard question for me cause I really don't know why, but I think for the case of "Lorn Empire" it was because I like creating and developing things. And to be honest the other maps that I created were for contests, which didn't get chosen or aren't chosen yet were for the rewards (Sully Note: ISN2's Istanbul entry was chosen to move on to Phase 2 for the World Cities contest. )

Sully: How has the mapmaking process been treating you? What challenges have you faced in the production of this map? What good fortune have you received through the Foundry process?ISN2: Well I have to say thanks to the Cartographers as they are putting a lot of time in Foundry and helping us much, but honestly I think the Foundry process is really slow and it lowers the propensity of the mapmakers.

In production of this map, I had a graphics issues, as I used a game's graphics for some objects and there could be copyright problems, so I had to redraw them from scratch, and it was kinda hard, but I did it. This challenge itself was a good fortune for me since I never did graphical works like that before and because of it I experienced some new things in graphical works that may be useful in future for me ...

Sully: What's it like making a map? What's it like seeing the "Lorn Empire" concept come to fruition?ISN2: Making a map is enjoyable but sometimes hard, sometimes you have not much time and people expect you to do some changes in the map or vice versa, sometimes you are waiting for comments and reviews on the map and no one shows up for days, but overall I have a good feeling about making something for other players. It will be so exciting for me to see my map out as a beta map, I really can't wait to play on my own map

Sully: Any further comments?ISN2: Well I have to say a big "Thank You!" to all of those who helped me in the production of the map with their comments, reviews, ideas and suggestions. Also a special thanks to natty_dread for all the help he gave and all the info he provided.

Thanks for the interview and have a good day

Best wishes to the future of your map, ISN2! And to the rest, why not spend two cents and a few minutes commenting on his map? Cheers!

Greetings clannies. This is my last issue as editor of the clan section of the Dispatch. I'm moving on to Special Events (though I may still write the occasional article), pleased that we've got a great team in place here and that Leehar will take over as Clan Executive. It's been a lot of fun doing this, over a year when the clans have grown from strength to strength. The prospects look brighter than ever, with nearly twice as many active clans as when I began, more games and competition than ever, and an impressive rise in the quality of play across the board meaning there's not a clan around that can rest on their laurels. Big thanks to the many many people who've helped out with this section, and thanks most of all to the players who have played the games that gave us so much excitement to write about. Do me a last favour & ask me a difficult question for next issue's interview.

Another packed edition for you. We've round-ups on the Conqueror's Cup - action from the second edition and our final post on the first edition. barterer2002 updates us on his 1to1 challenge; jigger1986 speaks to the Wild Geese; leehar speaks to Georgerx7di about the clan training groups and Blackknight_6 spices up his taunts. Master Fenrir takes a break this week but will be back soon.

Good luck also to the semi-finalists in the clan league: the matches between The Spanking Monkeys and Immortal Assassins, and between Agents of Chaos and Knights of the Round Table reaching a climax. There's unlikely to be more than a couple of games dividing winner and loser in either match, and in both the pre-match favourites TSM and KORT have a lot of work to do to salvage a win.

With the Cup Schedule indicating that Round 2 indicating that the Round of 16 will start in just under a week on the 24th of April, here's a final summary of events in the 2nd Conquerors Cup as we enter the nail-biting stages of the first round.

Devil's Brigade vs. Bullet Proof Bandits- With the Devil's Brigade having come out 11-7 winners in the Clan League Div B encounter between these two clans, the Bandits must have been feeling the heat coming into this challenge. However, they've seemingly rediscovered their mojo and with the current score at 18-11 in their favour, they look to have enough firepower to eke out the requisite wins to qualify in the remaining 12 games. However, along with this victory, they will now have the dubious privilege of facing Top Seeds Thota in the next round.

Imperial Dragoons vs. The Fantastic Four-skins- One of the most intriguing encounters of the first round, while not showing any great feats in the forums, seems to have balanced that with some blazing encounters in the field. Tffs look on-course for a fantastic victory as they are very much in the driving seat, but can the Dragoons show their pedigree to pip them to the line? Current score is 17-19 in favor of tffs however and with them being a man up in two other home quads, as well as a significant lead in the World 2.1 tiebreaker, they may have pulled off one of the major upsets in the first round by beating a clan seeded 15 places above them at the start of the tournament. ID in the meantime will direct their attention back to the 1v1 Challenges where they are now Semi-finalists after a strong performance vs G1

De Veroveraars der Lage Landen vs. Agents of Chaos- AoC continue to rise from strength to strength as they ultimately prove to be too strong for the Valiant Dutchman. Final Score should be either 28-13 or 29-12. AoC also have an enticing encounter against Kort in the Clan League Semi-Finals so keep your eye on them as they have shown themselves to be top-quality opposition since their first victory over the now defunct Waters Fury 2 years ago.

Legends of War vs. One Step Ahead- This looked to be one of the most exciting match-ups in the first round as OSA had shown their mettle by firing off more than 5 simultaneous challenges when bursting onto the clan scene. That was enough for them to sneak entry into this edition of the Conqueror's Cup, but that only served to give them a match-up against 5th Seeds and Long Established LoW. And after LoW stormed into an early 7-0 lead, alarm bells must certainly have been ringing in the OSA camp. However, OSA steadily clawed back and at 1 stage recently the winner looked to be separated by only 2 games. But eventually, LoW showed their greater experience and look to have come out comfortable winners with only Game 8760982 left to be decided in the ensuing days. Final Score? Either 23-18 or 24-17, and staying mostly in-line with earlier predictions. This match-up also had the honor of being the most watched of the first round, and while that may have much to do with the early stages where it almost suffered the ignominy of being called off due to rule violations, the tensions were calmed and this has been the most exciting game so far in the competition. Ultimately, LoW progress to the next-round to face off against early qualifiers ++The Legion++, while OSA continue in search of their Tournament Dreams in the Newcomers Cup

Grim Reapers vs. The Legion- With Legion already having qualified when we last went to print, there are only 2 games left unfinished, with GR likely to win the one, and foggy Supermax Quads being the other (Game 8683670). So basically 28-12 with 1 relatively undecided.

Mythology vs. A Fistful of Sixes- Relatively quiet Afos have sent out a strong message of intent after upsetting Clan League Quarter-finalists Mythology. The tie has still to be decided with the current score at 19-12, but the Afos leads in Hive and D-Day (if none else), should be enough to grant victory.

The New Crusade vs. The Spanking Monkeys- Tsm started strongly after sweeping their first home set, and haven't looked back since. Tnc always had their work cut out for them after being the bottom seeds for the competition, but they have fought valiantly, and the current score looks to be 27-8. With Tsm having already qualified for the next round, they will look to put this challenge to bed by being the first clan to cross 30 wins in the Cup so far.

Dynasty vs. Generation One- G1 are another clan poised on the verge of qualification into the next round with the current score at 20-14. And with them having an extra man advantage in No-Spoils Games on Waterloo and North America, they should soon have the opportunity to face Defending Champs and 3rd seeds Kort, who are chomping at the bit to defend their title, and spill some bloodmilk while doing it.

Fraternal Order of Exceptional Drinkers vs. Legends of the Zone- Foed have shown some enterprising skill over the last 6 months since their last loss to Nemesis. After strong wins over DbC and AoD, and another strong lead over The Legion in a 85-game encounter, they're again putting the hurt on a clan with a 24-9 lead over Lotz. Final Score could very well be 30-11

Risk Attackers vs. Immortal Assassins- IA have 2 difficult encounters running simultaneously to this, with a tough match against Empire where they are seemingly coming up a bit short, and an equally demanding fight against Tsm in the Clan League Semi's. With victory not yet secured here as the current score is 18-8, you still don't sense that they'll have too much trouble crossing the finish line. And indeed, with strong leads in Poison Rome, France 1789, Archipelago, and the World 2.1 tiebreaker (among others), the victory should soon be wrapped up.

Empire vs. Death by Comity- DbC have rarely had much luck in the clan scene since their inception over 2 and a half years ago. And again, facing up against an imposing Empire outfit, they were facing the wrong end of a barrel. Indeed, that is pretty much how it must have seemed, with the current score on 27-6. However, DbC has always been composed of a tight-knit group of friends and I'm sure they'll be back to fight another day in the future. In the meanwhile, Empire will continue to climb back up after somewhat disappointing themselves of late. They've always demanded a lot from themselves and I'm sure they'll have been disappointed to have fallen from 3rd seeds in the last edition of the CC, to 7th in this one.

The Last Warriors vs. Nemesis- Things looked pretty dicey for Nemesis at 1 stage when they only held a 1 game lead over Tlw. However, they eventually shifted up a gear in the second batch and look to have pulled out 24-17 victors. Indeed, that is exactly the score that Clan War Pundit Bruceswar had predicted, so looks like he has his eye on the ball.

Bretheren of the Fat Mermaid vs. Memento Mori- Bofm have put on an impressive streak of late. Since they're last loss against Tofu in the previous CC, they've had an impressive run of 7 successive victories. And with the score already 24-9 against, the winning run is now up to 8. And their prize? Why a rematch against the aforementioned Tofu (who themselves have won 9 challenges on the trot since their creation)

So there you have it folks, the down and dirty on the first round of the 2nd Annual Conquerors Cup. Next time you can look forward to an update on how the 2nd round is progressing where we can already expect some intriguing matches. And an interesting piece of trivia for those who are interested, the main Cup thread for the 2nd edition has already received half the replies and views of the first, and we're only just completing the first round! The clan scene is definitely getting better folks, so be sure to catch the latest from your Favorite Dispatch

As long as clan wars have been around there has been a conflict about the inclusion of 1v1 games in the batches. Many clan matches have included only team games while some have had one or two "best of" 1v1 series. With the recent addition of clan medals and the announcement that any series that included a 1v1 series would not be eligible for a clan medal the debate came up again.

As the debate raged in the clan medal thread last December it sparked an idea in my twisted head to do a 1v1 clan challenge. And so I broached the idea in Generation One to garner interest. The goal, from my perspective, was to have a wide support so I wanted at least 12 members playing and to do it without relying upon any one player's special map. There was some debate within G1 as to whether a 1v1 clan challenge was something we were interested in but there was enough interest to pursue it. We were, however, just beginning another challenge so I tabled it for a month while that one ran.

At the beginning of Feb then I posted that G1 would be interested in a 1v1 clan challenge. As I posted it I didn't know if there would be any takers. There are certainly some who feel that 1v1 has no place in clan wars and would resist and for all I knew, every clan would feel that way. I was hoping to have one clan interested in trying it. Instead, I heard from 5 that first day. Since I run tournaments, with a little encouragement I was convinced to run the 1v1 tournament among the clans. We had 6 that had expressed at least some interest and I PMed the other clans that I could find listed in the CC thread to drum up a little more. Some weren't able to drum up enough support within their clans to participate but we ended up with 12 clans participating.

I'm pleasantly surprised to have had that many participants in the first edition of the 1v1 clan challenge. As scottp notes "I think most of the guys in The Legion started out as good singles players before joining a clan, so it's good to exercise those abilities in a team format (like a college track or wrestling meet - you compete as an individual but win as a team)."

Mudpuppy notes "Personally, I am a huge 1v1 fan. When I first joined the clan world I was disappointed to discover that heads up games were widely shunned." And even within clans: "As a clan, about half of the Dragoons were chomping at the bit to join while the other half showed little interest."

Overall I think its been a positive experience, hopefully one that we can repeat in the future.

vrs Here in the clan section of the Dispatch our subject is heroism. Sure, we talk about scorelines, and about who’s the best clan and how to entertain your clanmates. Hell we’ve even been known to make the odd joke. But what excites us and what we chronicle is the struggle of clan against clan, the battle of team against team, the fight for world domination mano a mano, no holds barred. We record cunning stratagems and fierce combats, the inching win, region by region, of no spoils games, and the dramatic sweep with which escalating concludes. We celebrate the team which emerges victorious, champion of the field. We honour the clan who strings together victories back to back till they have amassed enough to own the winner’s title.

It is wholly fitting that heroism is our subject. For, as has been observed, Conquerclub is the finest game on the internet. Team games are the most distinct, the most compelling feature of CC. And it is the clans who have brought the art of teamplay to its highest, its most challenging level. It is entirely proper then that we honour the clans and hail as heroes those clans who emerge triumphant from battle.

Chuuuuck knew all this when more than a year ago he launched the first Conqueror’s Cup. Come show us what your clan is made of, he challenged. Prove, by beating your peers and rivals in full-length challenges, that your clan is the best.

Many came. Not all could be victorious. We remember so many, too many to name them all. Left For Dead experienced heartache just in qualifying for the first round. Mythology began so brightly, only to fade away before the last. Cup hosts Empire talked a brave talk but were undone. TOFU, agonisingly, went out not on games lost but on a mistake in game-making under which they were disqualified by a draconian rule.

Heroes pay their way in a sad coinage. For every victor there is a vanquished. For every Achilles there is a Hector, a great hero who is undone in the heat of the battle. It is the tragedy of CC that there can be only one winner, and nowhere is this more deeply felt than in the battle of clan against clan.

So our thoughts go out to THOTA, who came to the final, only to lose in the third set of three. The “ponies” played a fine match and they played a fine tourney. They were the first clan after the hosts to sign up to the competition. They gave us possibly the most intense excitement of all the tourney in their second round match against Nemesis when they went to the tiebreak. Until almost the end THOTA played like champions.

Imagine the agony of their defeat. We have all known defeat on CC. Each of us knows what suffering is, how it takes place in the corner of some unlucky map. Your team starts out so brightly with plans and intentions, and some of those come to pass. But your opponents have a counter. And they have an offensive of their own. Then you are defending, trying to maintain a balance. Another throw lost and now you are hanging on the cubes, hoping to even things up. The dice do not answer, and soon your hopes become desperate – please, please, some amazing throw, just to keep us in the game. This is how suffering happens on CC, how losses come to pass, not with a bang but a whimper, not with a moment of glory but with a slow decline into nothingness. The creep of reducing numbers, the dread look of the cubes, each 1 vrs 6, each 2 vrs 3 till all hope is squeezed from the game.

And let us not be shy about the tragedy of THOTA’s defeat. This was CC’s longest running undefeated clan, the clan that was widely regarded as number one. It is the end of a fantastic run. They have dominated the clan world for years, since soon after the clans came into being. It is not the end for THOTA, not by a long chalk, maybe not even the end of their stint as top clan, but it is the end of their aura of invincibility. CC will not see their like again. Never in our democratised age will we have one clan believed to be so surely head and shoulders above the rest.

Heroism is never simple. That great hero Achilles had his fatal weakness, his heel. Theseus who killed the minotaur, caused the death of his own father in his moment of triumph. The conqueror Alexander was brought to tragedy by his own drunkenness. Those who achieve greatness are rarely beyond reproach. But they are great figures, those who tread the heroic path.

Our victor is not the old number one. Indeed how improbable our victor would seem if we could take ourselves back 15 months and remember how they were voted no better than number seven seeds. They were new then, with just one clan war under their belts, just enough to qualify for the competition. They had fine players for sure, but exactly how fine, and whether they would work together as a team, nobody could be sure.

Those players did seem to work well together…. They showed their intent by seeing off long-established tournament-hardened Generation One in the first round. They defeated number three seeds Empire in the second round, in the first of the highly public much-viewed battles of the Cup. In the semis they were going behind to TOFU when their steely determination to win showed through in their vote to uphold the rule that forced their opponents to forfeit the match. They came bursting into the final taking a convincing lead in the first set. THOTA came back at them to level the score in the second set. Surely, the world thought, here is another ponies comeback which will see these upstarts put in their place. But they held their nerve, and came home with games to spare.

The cubes have many faces, and not Chuuuuck, nor anyone else, could see the twists of fate that Cup and cubes would work together to fulfill. But the battle is all but done and now there is one clan who have taken on the mantle of winners in the grandest competition that the clans of CC have yet fought out. Knights of the Round Table, we salute you.

There's been quite a lot of debate recently about the role of Clan Training groups, with the Society of Cooks hoping to develop a Team Training Scheme of their own, which could quite possibly clash with the Training Academies some clans already possess. Indeed, the rollout has just began, so you can read more about it here. In the meantime, I've taken it upon myself to contact one of the earliest proponents of clan team training, Georgerx7di who teaches at The Spankademy, the training ground for one of the premier clans on the site: The Spanking Monkeys. He talked to us about his involvement in the aforementioned academy.

Georgerx7di wrote:

How did you initially come up with the idea of being involved in a training group?- To be honest, I had been taking on students before I joined tsm. Once I got in, I found that we had this "spankademy" but it was largely unused. I believe the idea to create it belonged to jiminski, the clan founder. Anyhow, I asked the clan if I could sort of take it over, or at least use the space, and people were all for it.

How do you run your group? There is obviously an emphasis on Team skills, but what are the specifics, and what else do you look to teach players to concentrate upon?- We do teach singles, but mostly team games ofc. I tried to divide it up in an organized way. So with dubs, you first learn dubs, ns, chained, sunny on a standard map. This is classroom 1. Then we hit up a few escalating, then maybe 2 games with unlimited forts, which is all you need for that. Then new maps.

I've found that being flexible works a little better, rather than trying to push students to complete classes in order. We also teach trips and quads ofc. I set objectives for each, I think these are big, and by identifying them, they remind me of what works and make me a better player. Some objectives for the first dubs class are 1. Learn to play for small bonuses only. 2. Play for territory count (if the guy who goes next has 12 territs, be sure to take one from him, etc).

As for teachers, they come and go quickly. Sometimes people want to get in, but then they loose interest, other times people stay and put a lot of time in. Often times your students become permanent team partners, so its a lot more 1on1 like, and less like a classroom sometimes.

Also, 3 of my former students have put in some time teaching, and that helps a lot, and keeps them in, both learning and teaching.

How successful have you been in coordinating your group activities? How do you get your Trainees?- Trainees are not hard to find. If I post once, I get a few responses. Lately we've been taking guys who apply to the clan, and adding them as students. We've had many more who were in for a bit, but then we lost touch. The schools goes in cycles, some times it seems dead, but then we'll add 2 or 3 students and it will be up again.

Who are some of the successes you've had from your group?- Some students have become very successful. Ender_w99 was the first (and only so far) student to join the monkis. But crazyirishman went on to join LOW and Denise to Empire, two very good clans. So I would say we've had good success, all were stripers when they joined, and have achieved at least colonel, denise making brig.

There's been a debate in the SoC with regards to Training Groups and their conflict perhaps with SoC Team games, what are your thoughts on it and what do you think is the better mechanism for training or is there really a conflict at all?- Well, I think soc training is a good thing, but I think variety always improves things for everyone. There are 2 or 3 other training groups from other clans I believe. I think competition maintains quality, (we have to be good, or else they will go somewhere else).

Also, having clans train people, I think helps with that too. People will look for good clans, and want to be trained by their players. This insures that students are being trained by good teachers, or so we hope anyway.

Also, soc takes care of singles and terminator, which we ofc don't focus on a lot, so I think all training groups have a place.

Finally, is there anything extra that you look for within the Spankademy for entrants into Tsm? Some special traits to garner in order to join such a fun-loving crew?- We want guys who can play dubs, trips and quads. We also want guys who learn several maps, including at least a few complex ones really well, (let's say 3 to 5 complex maps that they could lead a team on). And that little extra quality, some natural talent for, and understanding of, the game. We want top players, who are versed in many settings and maps, and fog.

A few comments. I myself am a teacher in real life, and its something I enjoy doing. I have fun teaching my students, and that's an important component for a school.

To anyone thinking of opening a school:

1. Have fun doing it; we're all on here for free, to have fun. So you should enjoy yourself and remember not to boss your teachers and students around because they are here for entertainment and fun too.

2. Try to be organized, but flexible. Set up goals and classrooms, but don't worry if people follow them in order or if everyone's moving at the same pace.

3. Don't get down if you only have one student, give him all your time and turn that student into a master. At other times, when you have 7 students, put in the time to teach them all, because you don't know which one will turn out to be the next conqueror.

Finally, thank you for the questions. Thanks to all teachers in spankademy, past or present (hope I didn't miss anyone):

The make-up of the clan scene here on CC, like life, is in a constant state of change. New clans are forming all the time, some are dropping their competitive status and others simply dissolving. The clan scene is a very fascinating one, and a recent formation has piqued the interest of the clan world.

The Wild Geese (WG), a collaboration of members from The Bullet Proof Bandits, Nemesis and Left 4 Dead are one of CC's newest clans on the block. Dont let the majestic image of mother goose fool you, this clan is not to be taken lightly. The clan was formed by Nagerous,ga7,fircoal and pmchugh, all veterans of clan life. The four of them came up with the idea of forming a new clan while playing mafia games, and eventually decided upon the name Wild Geese. Because one of them was already a leader in Left 4 Dead, the four decided to assimilate all their new members into L4D, under the new name. The formation has led to new leadership, stronger teams and a stronger clan altogether.

With a current record of 1-0, this clan is already proving that they belong. Unfortunately because of their new clan status they are being forced to prove themselves again and are already making their mark on the highly contested clan ladder. Upon exclusion from the Conquerors Cup the leaders of WG were looking for a new venue to prove their ranks, made up of seasoned veterans from other clans, have what it takes to compete. The Wild Geese were invited to play in the Newcomers Cup and jumped at the opportunity to prove themselves in a multi-clan challenge. Going into the event as favorites, WG have already advanced to the second round with a win over The New Crusade. Although for now, WG are focused on the Newcomers Cup they are eager for the chance to prove themselves against some of CC's top clans. Good luck Geese!

Our column this issue starts with another message I got from a member of The Pack.

greenoaks: i was just reading your article on internal 1v1's and realised we'd done something similar in The Pack.

when the christmas map was out last year i challenged every player to three 1v1's on that map. most of the clan took me up on it and when it was all over i posted the results. thankfully they were slightly in my favour.

hopefully this year i can expand it to get everyone playing everyone else rather than only offering them the right to brag for a whole year that they have more xmas spirit than me.

The internal tournaments seem like a popular choice for clans then. But now I’d like to turn our attention to how to spice up the external fights… yes here I’m talking about wars. And when talking about wars, we’re inevitably talking about taunts.

Taunts usually start off quite light, in the pre-game chat. For example, making a prediction that your clan will win.

qwert: its look that poison rome are secured by WG forces Also WG forces manage to conduct supprise offensive in WWII Europe and crush crusaders,securing another victory

But this is still amateur stuff. When you start using images, you can really spice up the taunts. Here for example is an image I made in our war against the wild geese.

Click image to enlarge.

And if you REALLY want to up the ante, go for moving images! Overstream is a website that allows you to freely add your own subtitles to any existing video (on youtube for example). Personally I like to take foreign dubbed film trailers and re-subtitle them. Here is a video I made for the second round of our war against the Spanking Monkeys.

Ahem, I should add here that these spicy taunts are no guarantee of victory! We lost both the war to the Wild Geese and the Spanking Monkeys. But at least we walk away with our heads held high and knowing we gave them a good piece of our mind!

OVER TO YOU:Spice up your taunts! Here’s how:1) Make outrageous predictions in the pre-war chat.2) Give frequent and graphic updates of the progress of the war, especially when your clan is winning.3) Do mashup images. Here are some sites:http://www.magcover.com/ Lets you adapt your own magazine covers.http://www.signgenerator.org/ Lets you change the lettering on various signs on photos so it says what you want.http://www.overstream.net/ Lets you add your own subtitles to videos.

Sorry qwert, I did want to add your signature... which was the red flag to the Crusaders well done... but I didn't have time. And I had used two examples of yours already. I will do something on sigs in another column perhaps. But your stuff was great indeed!